WHERE IS RILEY STRAIN: BREAKING

at this hour the mystery deepens in the

search for missing Riley strain I'm

Nancy Grace this is crime stories thank

you for being with us here at crime

stories and on serus

xm11 how can you turn a deaf ear to this

listen I haven't talked to my boy for

over a

week and his

hard you say to somebody that gives up

part of their life to help you find your

life it's

amazing thank you for getting the word

out and keeping the word out and please

keep don't stop sharing don't stop

sharing till we bring Riley home please

just

continue I've got such a bad feeling

where is

Riley this kid scrubbed in sunshine this

is the boy every mom wants their boy to

be like okay the apple of his family's

eye you were hearing his mother begging

and pleading crying trying to speak

through tears asking us to help tipline

6158628600 repeat

6158628600

now is the time for us to act in the

search for Riley strain and I've got to

tell you a hundred A Thousand Times

Mothers would come to me at trial and

even now begging for

help but at trial you have to keep a

clear head unclouded with emotion and

look at the facts in order to help the

family I want you to hear the original

911 call

listen who is it that you're wanting to

report is missing it's we're here on a

fraternity formal trip it's it's one of

my good buddies okay what is his name

his name is Riley strain Riley r i l e y

strain s r a i n okay is he white black

Hispanic Asian he's white he's white uh

22y old 65

blonde

okay and what was he last scene

wearing outside of Luke Bryan's bar last

night at like 10 and then the last time

his location on his phone was by the

sheriff's office at like 11 p.m. okay

and what color clothing was he last SE

wearing he's wearing jeans boots and a a

half black shirt half brown light

brown you're hearing uh a good friend of

Riley strange calling 911 and how ironic

is that one of his last pings the

location on the phone was at the

sheriff's office in front of near around

the Sheriff's Office no network or phone

service since

953 p.m. where is Riley joining me in

Allstar panel to make sense of what we

know right now I'm going to play you

more of the 911 call because I have

learned with uh working with so many

many juries as a felony prosecutor that

takes you to the moment and you can

learn so much about probative facts

facts that prove something that help you

find the person but first I want to go

to a special guest joining us Chris

Dingman uh a very dear family friend of

the strains and you can find them on

GoFundMe at Riley strain Chris thank you

for being with us what is the frame of

mind of the family right now in the

search for their

son uh the family's completely

devastated you know we're 10 11 days

into this uh really Ry just disappeared

in thin air and we we try to keep faith

we keep hope uh the ironic part of not

having Clues means we have hope he's

still there lost somebody may know where

he is um but it is truly devastating on

the

family and shortly speaking of Clues we

are going to be joined by the woman who

may have found the single most important

clue as of right now uh back to you

Chris Dingman a very dear friend and

spokesman for Riley's family how did

this whole thing unfold when did Riley's

parents discover he's missing I mean

it's every parents worst nightmare you

know Chris I work every day sometimes

holding down two sometimes three jobs

because I want to make a college fund

for my children to to get through high

school you know give them tutors if they

need it get them to college give them

every

opportunity that a lot of people

including myself never had to make it

easier for them so Riley gets to college

he's doing great he makes friends in his

fraternity I think it was Delta Kai

everything's going fine he goes on their

formal which all the college kids do and

all of a sudden mom gets the call he's

gone I mean how does that happen you put

all your love all your energy all your

money everything into helping your

children you think going to college is

the thing to do and Bam he's gone what

happened yeah the the family was

actually notified at about 10:30

Saturday morning uh by his fraternity

Brothers uh wanting to know if they had

heard from Riley because as we all know

now he did not come back to his hotel

room uh the family instantly told the

boys please contacted the police go down

to the police station uh they started

packing a few clothes together

constantly reaching out for Riley hopped

in a car and started heading that way

this process of reporting Riley missing

started actually at 10:30 Saturday

morning and an official report that we

have been shown didn't take place till 1

140 sometime in that area that's how

long it took uh for the boys to actually

get somebody to file an official Report

with a lot of confusion on why that took

that uh but yeah the family was actually

notified about 10:30 Saturday

morning okay guys you're hearing Chris

Dingman joining us uh very dear friend

of the Riley strain Family Guys I want

to hear more of that 911 call then we're

heading straight out to Dryden Quigley

WSMV a four investigative reporter for

the very latest but let's hear the 911

call listen and you said it last showed

outside the sheriff's department like

around that area by the river by the

sheriff's department over there okay

does he have any life sustaining

medications or disabilities no you said

he he has a phone so it's a cell phone

right yeah it's an iPhone 15 Pro Max

what is the number but it's um hold on

all right are you ready yes go ahead

you said the last four were

4198 yes

okay and are you going to be waiting

there the at the door of the precinct

are you going to be waiting in your car

I mean yeah we're at the front door of

the precinct okay I've got the call sent

there at the central Precinct 601 Korean

Veterans Boulevard and downtown right

across the Music City Center we'll get

an officer out to you as soon as we can

please call us back to something changes

before they

arrive so when you look back when you

look back on everything that happens in

every case you think would have could

have should have they should have done

the report earlier we should have this

we should have

that bottom line Riley strain is missing

his parents asking us for their help

again tip line

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so Chris Dingman you're telling me that

the mom and or dad get a message the

following morning at 10ish

a.m. they ask the fraternity brother

quick quick go report him missing right

now and they head to the area is that

correct yes yes they were in Springfield

Missouri where you know Riley was born

and raised and and that's where we are

and uh instantly when a parent gets that

message you know you're mortified uh

what's going on you know especially when

you're six or seven hours away from your

kid you know and they uh they hopped in

a vehicle threw some clothes together uh

was constantly trying to reach out to

Riley on their Journey there with uh

unfortunately no no response oh cool you

know what that's reminded me of Chris

Dingman uh I'm in New York uh where we

live with the children uh at that time

they're about oh gosh eight nine years

old had just has gotten them to bed and

get a call my dad is on life support I

get one sentence off to him daddy I'm on

the way within 15 minutes we were out on

the street in pajamas trying to Hell a

cab all right and the whole way trying

to get back home to make Georgia just in

fits tight up in knots I can only

imagine what Riley's parents were going

through as they drove all the way to

where he goes missing and speaking of

straight out to Dryden Quigley

investigative reporter WS

MV4 Dryden thank you for being with us

first of all describe the area where we

believe Riley went missing guys I'm

about to go to the woman who was found

what could be the single most important

physical clue yet uh go ahead Dryden so

the last place that he was spotted on

the video camera it's kind of up a

street and it's going along the

Cumberland River where there's a pretty

steep drop off down there um different

areas have steeper than other parts but

you can last see him Crossing this

street and kind of heading up towards

under these two Bridges where he's last

seen you know I'm very curious is it

true Dryden Quigley WSMV 4 that Riley

was headed toward a homeless

encampment so along that drop off

between the Gay Street and Cumberland

River there's this bank and it is where

a lot of people spend the night and

sleep along there and then under the two

Bridges as well yes what people what

people what Boy Scout campers who is

staying out there under

bridges people yeah who don't have

anywhere else to go you know there's a

lot of trash down there too and so that

comes into play later when looking for

Riley's possessions

too is it true that drugs are used in

that area by the homeless

people I can't say that for sure I

haven't seen it myself but I would

believe it's possible

yeah so did he realize he's headed for

an encampment of homeless people where J

Drugs apparently are used openly as we

have seen now developing across the

country guys we have been playing the

911 calls we're telling you the very

latest of what you know but now I want

you to hear from a volunteer search

Searcher Brandy banan who lives in

Nashville and possibly has found the

single most important physical clue yet

I'm so grateful Brandy could speak to us

uh first of all listen to what she tells

us regarding what she was looking for

when she found the clue we were looking

for either his boots shirt um he has a

bright blue wallet any of those

indications um but we went down the and

we went down to the embankment and

walked along the river until we got to

underneath the bridge which is one of

the last um known facilities that he was

in and we started just digging around

rummaging as much as we can and about I

want to say we were there into that part

for maybe 20 or 30

minutes and there's about three Ledges

and on the third bottom ledge um which

it's very hard to explain so I'm sorry

if that is hard to

imagine Anna saw a card right there and

flipped it over to look at the backside

because it was just a like the bank on

the front and saw his name and she goes

oh my God we found his card and I was

like no we didn't and right there we

were both instantly shocked our stomachs

dropped and then we were both like we

have to keep going like this means we

have to keep

going I can't imagine what what went

through everyone's Minds when they

realize they have found evidence Liz we

actually have video and sound of that

Discovery everybody

listen I don't think they do right here

or at least where that guy's tent does

cuz he's talking about how cold what I

found his C you found his credit card we

found his credit card we got to hang up

we got to hang up the phone oh my God

guys I I I'm just trying to take in that

moment where they find the piece of

evidence and I want to make something

very very clear Chris

Dingman this young boy Riley strain has

no history at all ever of drug use um

never has been thrown out of school

never has been in treatment never not

not even a a disorderly conduct crossing

the street jaywalking nothing isn't that

true Chris

Dingman 100% yeah Riley was his

straightforward kid you know we've had a

lot of people be you know question us

and go I can't believe he's that good of

a kid and and all you have to do is ever

be just a little bit of his life just a

blimp meet him anywhere and you

instantly knew that the pictures that

everybody's been sharing with him

smiling that truly was that kid uh he

was an awesome boy and and we want him

back and he is an awesome

boy you know you just brought me to

tears because it reminds me so much of

my son John David people are always

saying how can one kid

be so good natured and and so joyful I

mean you know what his nickname is here

at the house awesome his nickname is

awesome and um just thinking about him

completely innocent I mean Dr Bethany

Marshall uh joining me high-profile

Psych analyst joining us out of LA and

you can find her at Dr Bethany

marshall.com Dr

Bethany when I talk about this homeless

encampment and how drugs allegedly are

being openly sold and used this is not

about

Riley going down to get drugs he has no

history of that at all zero he was out

with his friends on the fraternity

formal weekend he get wanders off alone

and this is where his bank card is found

it's like a lamb being led to the

slaughter Dr

Bethany exactly Nancy it sounds to me

like Riley was extremely disoriented he

thought he was going back to his hotel

room he no longer had his friends with

him and he was simply walking the wrong

direction and he walked right into the

jaws of danger I mean what happens in

these homeless encampments is that they

are communities Nancy and everybody in

the homeless encampment tends to know

each other they watch out after each

other they sometimes exchange food they

they look after each other's kids

they're like little tiny cities so when

Riley walked into the situation are you

talking about woman I mean Dr Bethany

this is not a a commune where they're

raising organic food and singing Kum by

yah every night

they're God bless them for their

Misfortune but there are drugs being

openly sold hard drugs needle drugs Beth

I don't know what world you're coming

from well Nancy my had a Min out high

school I know that work with the hom too

but the last thing I'm going to do is in

John David and Lucy under a bridge

absolutely absolutely well what I was

going to say was that

the fact that he was not a part of this

group and he walked in made him

extremely vulnerable it was a very

precarious situation walking into a

group of desperate people and this is

like a child like a little lamb being

led to the slaughter he did not know

what he was getting

into guys I want to Circle back to what

we know uh again a volunteer Searcher

who spends her own valuable private time

helping in the search for Riley has

found a very significant piece of

physical evidence it's Brandy ban

volunteer Searcher and I want you to

hear what she has to say about why

Brandy is searching for

Riley I personally started going out

Tuesday night I went out Wednesday

Thursday Friday um Saturday Sunday um I

was doing some Tik Tok lives with a

friend while I was searching because I

was kind of going on my own and Anna

happened to see one of those Tik Tok

lives and she messaged me and asked if

she could come join the next day and she

did and that gave me um that gave me the

ability to be able to go all the way

down to the embankment because I

couldn't just do it with myself in case

something were to happen no one would

know or my friend on Tik Tok wouldn't

really be able to help me so Anna was

brave enough to go down with that with

me and so we went searching and we

happened to find

something there is no way in a e l no

way n h eou l that Riley train did you

hear what she just said that she didn't

know if she was brave enough to go down

down the slope into that area she was

afraid and that is in broad daylight and

here walks in Riley into this area late

late at night what happened to him where

is he I I need to get a clearer picture

sure about exactly where the bank card

was found let's listen to Brandy banan

it was in an embankment so there was

like a there's brick a brick wall

because there is a u so we're underneath

the bridge so then there if you're up on

the sidewalk there's a fence and there's

a brick wall that comes down if you're

under the embankment then and then that

brick wall kind of turns into some mud

and rocks trees and then that goes into

another ledge similar ledge which goes

into another one which then goes into

rocks which then turns into the river so

it was in that third little ledge of mud

dirt and then you have to in right now

in Nashville it is full of garbage there

so we were actually raging through trash

absolute trash everything that you can

imagine um including things that were

dangerous to us like we saw some needles

and things like

that yeah Bethany the peace loving

people down under that bridge and their

hypodermic needles it'd be a cold day in

Hell before I would let my children go

down there and here's Riley strain and

he's basically straight out of high

school and there he goes but hold on I'm

just trying to get an understanding

about what Brandy banan is saying

because from what she's describing there

is no way that that bank card of Riley

strange could have fallen in that

location uh let me understand no listen

what Brandy ban and says about the

card's

location I personally do not think that

that card could have landed there from

just like stumbling and losing a card

out of your hand because it would have

had to go down a few Ledges now it it

has been some time that's passed since

the eth and then we did have rain on the

exact week after that that Friday so I

don't know what that would do at all if

that would affect it at all but when we

found the card it wasn't actually

covered up that much there was some

leaves um and she saw the blue in it

guys we're trying to determine the

significance of the location of Riley

strains bank card and I I I have a

reason for doing this I remember in one

murder case and the guy was a serial

killer but I could get him on one case

it was

janeo and I found one of her earrings in

a particular location and the fact that

it was there proved volumes to me I

learned that that was a tertiary crime

scene which led me then to the secondary

and the primary crime scene because of

that one earring now let's think what

this bank card means Liz if you don't

mind I'd like to see the video with the

sound again of when they find the bank

card let let's watch that I don't think

they do right here or at least where

that guy's tent does because he's

talking about how cold

what you found his credit card we found

his credit card we got to hang up we got

to hang up the phone oh my

god did you see that terrain did you see

those rocks Riley strain was not going

on a leisurely stroll amongst these

rocks down by the river that did not

happen and back to Dryden Quigley

joining us investigative reporter WSMV

for Nashville I understand that one of

the homeless gentlemen that was there

claims that he heard a quote commotion

around the time we believe Riley strain

may have been there what can you tell me

about that dren so I didn't speak with

that homeless person myself but it has

been reported that yes he was he during

around that time he heard a commotion

after he saw Riley walk through there

that's all he said about it or was

reported about it but I didn't speak

with him

myself also emerging in the search for

Riley strain is surveillance video but

first I want to ask Chris Dingman Chris

uh very dear family friend of the strain

and speaking for them Chris what is the

reaction from the parents regarding the

discovery that Braden made of the bank

card I'm extremely happy you're asking

me that I actually uh had friends of the

family that was very close to the young

ladies when they found it um I got a

phone call Sunday afternoon uh they were

super excited they go we found this car

and I said can you go to them they were

within about a 100 yards of each other

and she said yeah and I said do me a

favor I said I know the bank that Riley

uses uh unfortunately and you've dealt

with this a lot uh there are a lot of

people that will do fake cards fake IDs

and throw them in crime scenes just to

be cruel and uh I notified the family uh

the young ladies instantly took a

picture of the card sent to me I knew at

that moment that's right card I I

contacted the family said hey this is

the pinpoint they've dropped me a pin uh

one of the young ladies I asked her I

said please D 911 uh I'm going to get a

hold of the family the other person that

uh contacted me she was actually in a

close proximity of some police that were

actually there with uh canines and had

been searching the area a little bit

farther away um I I told her I said

please go get the police take them

directly to those young ladies uh we

need to secure that area um and the

young girls as you've kind of heard in

their voices they were just estatic they

were nervous they were scared and I told

her I said I need you to do something

for me please I said you're about to be

bombarded with 100 plus people you guys

were live on Tik Tok everybody kind of

has a ballpark idea where you are I need

that crime scene secured please if

people come up there tell them to stand

back uh till the police get here so we

can do a for investigation in that exact

area one thing that struck out to me I

don't know if you have physically seen

the picture of the card and I'm glad the

young lady brought that up and we

discussed this that card is not dirty

it's not filthy for a card that have

been laying on the ground for nine days

not in the water or even remotely close

to the water in essence to the storms

that they had there's constant moisture

down there there's constant wind flow

down there and there was no visible

signs of you know the Frisbee the kids

leave the frisbee out in the yard two

days later you go out it's covered in

Dew and and a little dirt particles that

that seemed to me to be very very

strange so I would love to see your take

on

that you know I find that very

interesting the point that you're

bringing out that the card was not

weathered at all joining me is Steve

fiser missing person's private

investigator search and rescue

specialist owner of search investigation

ations find it at search investigations.

org Steve fiser thank you for being with

us what does that tell you I find it

very

probative uh I think one thing that's

important to realize is that the uh

River levels on the at 10 p.m uh night

he went missing uh were 7 feet higher

than when the women found the card so

the water level was significantly higher

which is why you see the different color

the darker rocks so it's a controlled

River um they had let a of uh you know

outflow out of it so that could have

been submerged and simply the water

level coming down and that would account

for why the cart is so clean and where

it's at on hold on Steve fiser what

about the fact as we just heard from

Braden that it was wedged in it it

didn't get there

innocently from what I understood I did

watch the video of when they uncovered

it I think it was under some uh a little

bit of debris

and you know we'll never know for

certain but in search and rescue you

know we're looking for the last known uh

position and it's the same spot that the

cell phone um last pinged at on Life 360

you were originally told it was uh 50 to

100 feet south on the south side of that

bridge which is right where this card

ended up also so I think um you know

there's a likelihood that it just could

be the water flow is the reason that it

was found on the embankment Ben Powers

is joining us high-profile lawyer out of

Nashville and you can find him at legal

powers.com Ben Powers thank you so much

for being with us what can you tell us

about your knowledge of the case and

your insight into what's happening right

now well so right now it sounds like the

investigation has locked in a really